Information » Health » Smoking and Alcohol » Smoking
- Nearly 27% of 15 year old girls and 15% of 15 year old boys in Wales reported that they smoked regularly when a survey was conducted in 2001/2. The numbers of young people in Wales reporting that they smoke regularly rises from the age of 11 to 15. It is therefore very important that young people understand the risks they are taking if they decide to smoke tobacco. Most adults who smoke started smoking when they were young and many want to stop but find it difficult and wish they had not started smoking when they were teenagers.
- Tobacco is made from the leaves of tobacco plants. These leaves contain nicotine which is a highly addictive drug and can affect how your brain works.
- The most common way of using tobacco is to smoke it but there are people who chew tobacco.
- Tobacco contains over 400 hundred chemicals and these are very harmful to the body.
- The effect of smoking tobacco is that it can make people relax and generally feel better and can make the user feel less hungry. For some first time smokers the effect is to make them feel sick and dizzy.
- Included in the risks are:
- Those who smoke are more likely to get chest infections and coughs
- Cancer, heart disease and emphysema are linked with long term smoking. This includes cancer of the tongue, mouth and lungs.
- The amputation of 2000 arms and legs each year is linked to smoking
- Approximately 120,000 people die before they should have, each year in the UK because they smoked.
- Even those who do not smoke can be affected by other people´s cigarette smoke and it can cause them to have a number of health related problems including asthma and cancer.
- It is illegal for anyone to sell tobacco or tobacco products to anyone under the age of 18.
- There is a lot of help available to assist you to give up smoking and if you check out the websites below you will find more information about the risks of smoking and where you can find help and advice on giving it up.
